"America" By Allen Ginsberg

I just got a disk from The Library Grift called "The Beat Generation" and it featured this piece. It's Allen Ginsberg reading his own piece, called "America". Tom Waits took the words and added music under it. I thought you might like to give it a listen.



If you dig it, you can read the entire poem here. Try opening this page in another window and reading along as you listen to it. I did.

The poem was written in 1956 and there are definite anachronistic references in there. Russia is "the big bad" in this poem. But the weariness and despair and the pleading quality might be just as applicable to our current political situation. It might've been written today.

I thought it was particularly powerful. Last night, when it randomly came up on my ipod, I immediately backed it up and listened to it again, trying to catch every word. I thought you might like it too.

Cheers,
Mr.B